Pulse of The People: Medicinal marijuana will help sick people

"The drug war has failed and continues to bring hardships on average Americans -- including those who are severely ill," Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick writes in a recent op-ed in the Times Union. "...sick New Yorkers should not be caught in the war on drugs. We hope to see the same leadership Gov. Andrew Cuomo had on marijuana decriminalization show its face again on medical marijuana, where patients are counting on him."

I believe New York this is an incredible opportunity for New York to show leadership on an issue that is currently sweeping the nation. Popular opinion continues to gravitate favorably towards marijuana reform as recent polls show a strong majority of Americans support ending the war on marijuana, 58 percent, and oppose federal intervention, 64 percent.

Failing to act sooner rather than later comes with serious, often tragic consequences. Over 50,000 New Yorkers were arrested for simple marijuana possession over the past year alone, and there is little doubt that seriously ill patients in our state have been caught up in the drug war as well. As the nation continues to grapple with prohibition, we cannot continue to recklessly expose the seriously ill to the violence and misery of the drug war.

We have a real chance to bring safety and security to many sick New Yorkers with the medical marijuana legislation headed to a vote in the state Senate some time next year. I stand with Mayor Myrick in calling on Gov. Andrew Cuomo to advocate sensible reform as he did decriminalization and begin working with the state Senate to bring medical marijuana to patients in our state.